A number of high-profile wrestling events are being held nationally this month as USA Wrestling plays its significant part in attempting to keep wrestling on the Olympic program of events.

Among those was the United 4 Wrestling tournament this past Sunday at the Los Angeles Sports Arena. London 2012 Olympian Elena Pirozhkova of Greenfield was one of the participants and she responded strongly with a 4-2 victory over Canada’s Danielle Lappage in the 63 kilograms/138.75-pound weight class in women’s freestyle.

Lappage is a current junior world champion. Pirozhkova, a first-time Olympian at the London 2012 Olympic Games, is a 2012 world champion at 63 kilograms.

But the bigger picture wasn’t Pirozhkova’s victory. It was an event that included world-class wrestlers from the United States, Russia and Canada. Just a few days earlier, the United States was host to the Beat the Streets Rumble on the Rails dual meet between the United States and Iran held at Grand Central Station in New York City.

“This sport means a lot,” said Pirozkova, a former Greenfield High School wrestler. “It’s really exciting to be a part of it. It means a lot to all of the wrestling countries. I’m just blessed to be a part of it. There’s no way I’d miss out on this.”

Next up for Pirozhkova is the USA Wrestling World Team Trials in June.
She will be the No. 1 seed at 63kg because she won her fifth U.S. Open championship in that weight class in April in Las Vegas, Nev. She is hoping to defend her world championship at 63kg this summer.

In February, the International Olympic Committee voted to remove wrestling from the Olympics starting in 2020. Wrestling will still be a sport in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

CARPENTER SEEKS SPOT ON USA FIELD HOCKEY SQUAD:Maddy Carpenter of Wilbraham, a rising junior at Northwestern University, is one of 108 athletes hoping to land a spot on the USA Field Hockey Women’s National Team this week at the Women’s National Championships.

A goalkeeper, Carpenter has played on the U17, U19 and U21 national teams. She is a graduate of Suffield Academy. Carpenter was a Big Ten Conference Defensive Player of the Week once last fall. She will play on the U21 team at the national championships, which began Thursday at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va.

Carla Tagliente, the field hockey coach at the University of Massachusetts, is coach of the New England/North team. Five UMass players are on the team: Hannah Prince, Samantha Carlino, Izzie Delario, Alexa Sikalis and Kim Young. UMass assistant coach Shannon Taylor is also on the team. Alesha Widdall, a 2012 UMass graduate, is on the Midwest/California team.

Craig Parnham, the USA Field Hockey Women’s National Team head coach, will choose 24 players for the national team following the tournament, then will also choose an undetermined number of players for the USA Field Hockey development team.

HOLYOKE BOXER ON USA BOXING ELITE TEAM:Geremias Torres of Holyoke is on the USA Boxing elite men’s team which will begin competition next Tuesday in the Olympic Cup tournament in Puerto Rico.

Torres, who fights at 178 pounds, won a national championship in April to earn his spot on the elite national team.